The Deep End

Professing Atheists Conveniently Pick and Choose Their Own “Morality”

Professing Atheist: Judges 19 vv22-25 seems a little misogynistic and immoral.

Christian: Whether it SEEMS a little immoral or whether it SEEMS horrific, is irrelevant. Judges 19 is in the Bible not as an example of condoned behavior, but partly to show the atrocities that occur when men gauge right and wrong by what “seems” right or wrong, instead of what God says in His holy Word.

Professing Atheist: What about God’s own behaviour in Numbers 15 vv35-36, and pretty much everywhere in Leviticus 20? Do you think God’s Word, as revealed in these passages, is moral? I go shopping on Sundays. Would you stone me to death for that, as God unambiguously commands you to do? If not, why not?

Christian: The whole idea you have of fitting Scripture into your own “culture” or your own ideas of morality is partly where you are missing the point. The laws found in Leviticus and Numbers were God’s laws for the Jewish people. My opinion of them does not matter, except on a personal level, that I accept what the Bible says about them as absolute truth. New Testament believers are not commanded to stone people who shop on Sunday, or on the Jewish Sabbath for that matter. See Matthew 12:1-8.

You ask me, “Do I ‘think’ God’s laws are moral?” I don’t judge God’s laws. God judges all men. And He judges righteously.

Professing Atheist: Imagine you had been born in twelfth century Sweden. Or in Iran in, say, 1980. Just be honest: in those circumstances, which God do you think you would have ended up believing in? What do your answers tell you about your claim that your God, alone, is the right one?

Christian: God, before He created me, ordained in His perfect will that I would not be born in Iran or Sweden in a different time period. But if He had, I would be without excuse if I failed to acknowledge and worship Him. In the heart of every man, at every place and time, since the beginning of creation, God has placed the idea of eternity, and revelation of Himself. (Ecclesiastes 3:11; Romans 1:19-20)